Gear shifting apparatus



Jan; 5, 1937. J. GRISENTI GEAR SHIFTING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 6. 1,933 8Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR 7 UN WMW Jam 5, 1937.. J. GRISENTI GEARSHIFTING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 6, 1953 a Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. HGerssmr/ JOSE Jan. 5, 1937. J. GRISENTI GEAR SHIFTING APPARATUS FiledSept. 6, 1933 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 INV EN TOR. k/a s y Gf/SEN 7' I Jan. 5,1937.

J. GRISENTI GEAR SHIFTING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 6, 1953 s Sheets-Sheet 5F v o m 00 N g W E v 8 I C c Xi H] INVENTORIW JOSEPH Grass: Tl

J. GRISENTI GEAR SHIFTING APPARATUS Filed Sept. e, 1933 Jan. 5 1937.

8 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR.

Q15 EN T Jan- 5, 1937. J. GREEN GEAR SHIFTING PEP ARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet7 Filed Sept. 6,

J. GRISENTI' GEAR SHIFTING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 6, 1933 8 Sheets-Sheet8 do SEPH INVENTOR- G EIS'EN T/ Jan. 5, 1937. I

Patented Jan. 5, 1937 GEAR SHIFTING APPARATUS Joseph Grisenti, SanFrancisco, Calii.'., assignor to Angelina Grisenti, San Francisco,Calif.

Application September 6, 1933, Serial No. 688,313

45 Claims.

10 ward direction, in direct ratio to the engine speed,

the speed of travel of the vehicle, and the load carried by the saidvehicle.

A further-object of the invention is to provide an automatic gearshifting mechanism for an automobile, wherein the said transmission maybe either 01 a standard and conventional type, or of a special type.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus forautomatically shifting the gears of an automotive vehicle transmissionto selected speeds after starting movement of said shifting mechanismhas been initiated manually.

Other objects and advantages are to provide a gear shifting apparatusthat will be superior in point of simplicity, inexpensiveness ofconstruction, positiveness of operation, and facility and convenience inuse and general eiliciency.

In this specification and the annexed drawings, the invention isillustrated in the form considered to be the best, but it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to such form, because itmay be embodied in other forms; and it is also to be understood that inand by the claims following the description, it is desired to cover theinvention'in whatsoever form it may be embodied.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of an automobile transmission havinga gear shifting mech- 4 anism constructed in accordance with myinvention, applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-section taken through a portionof an automatic gear shifting apparatus to be mounted upon a non- 45standard type of gear box.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross-section taken through the remainder ofthe automatic gear shifting mechanism shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken through Fig. 2

50 on the line l-4.

Fig. 5 is a plan section taken through Fig. 2 on the line 55.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation partly broken away, and in reduced scale,showing the power plunger 55 for initiating the shifting of the gears.

(Cl. PL-338.5)

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail of one of the gear shifting elements,together with the locking cam thereon.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a special type of transmission, having my gearshii'ting apparatus connected thereto and illustrating the method ofconnecting the operating parts of the shifting mechanism to the gearbox.

Fig. 9 is a detail of a pair'of gears in the gear box shown in Fig. 8,and illustrating an apparam tus for shifting one of said gears.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of a standard form of transmission having my gearshifting mechanism applied thereto.

Fig. 11 is a detail of a plurality of gears of a standard transmission,having my shifting mechanism operatively connected thereto.

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal cross-section taken through a modified form ofgear shifting mechanism designed to be mounted upon a standard type ofgear box.

Fig. 13 is a vertical cross-section taken through the gear shiftingmechanism, said mechanism being the same as that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and3, and showing the apparatus at the moment of 2 disengaging the lowspeed gear and engaging the intermediate speed gear.

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary detail which shows the stop lever H0 inposition to prevent rearward movement of the slide block 8|.

Fig. 15- is a fragmentary detail showing the slide 6| at the limit ofits reciprocative movement, with the high speed gear in engagement.

Fig. 16 is an enlarged side elevation, partly broken away to show themodified form of clutch engaging and disengaging mechanism.

Fig. 1'? is an enlarged cross-section taken through Fig. 16 on the linel'|-I'i.

Fig. 18 is an enlarged" section taken thru one of the valve ports shownin Fig. 6, on the line 40 i8-l8.

Fig. 19 is a reduced size plane view of the handle for releasing thefluid pressure in the cylinder 64.

In the conventional motor vehicle, forward or 5 rearward movement of thevehicle is accomplished by disengaging the clutch between the engine andtransmission, engaging any selected pair of gears, and then allowing theclutch to gradually engage, to move the vehicle in either a forward orrearward direction. With the standard and conventional type of gearshifting apparatus, it is necessary to coordinate the engine speed andvehicle speed, whereby the meshing of gears of proper. ratio may beaccomplished, without either injury to the gears themselves or torelated parts of the mechanism. Even the best of drivers of motorvehicles oftentimes areunable to shift gears to avoid clashing of thegears or other damage to the operating parts. With my invention thestarting of the vehicle in movement, in either a forward or a rearwarddirection, is initiated manually, after which movement of the saidvehicle at higher speeds in a forward direction is automaticallyaccomplished by my shifting mechanism.

In detail the construction illustrated in the drawings comprises a primemover or engine I, having a conventional form of clutch combinedtherewith and interposed between the engine I and the standard type ofgear box 2, shown in Fig. 10, or a special type of gear box 3, shown inFig. 8.

In the gear box 2, the drive shaft 4 connects to the engine clutch andthe shaft 5 on the op posite side of the said gear box 2, connects tothe wheel propelling mechanism of the vehicle. In a like manner, theshaft 4' on the gear box shown in Fig. 8, connects to the engine clutch,while the shaft 5' connects to the wheel drivin mechanism. The gearshifting mechanism constituting the subject matter of this invention, iscontained within a housing 6, mounted on one side of or adjacent to agear box or transmission of either the conventional or special type, asshown in Figs. 8 and 10. Where the gear shifting mechanism is applied tothe so-called standard gear box, as shown in Fig. 10, it is necessary tohave a gear shifting mechanism of the type shown in Fig; 12, whereas, agear shifting mechanism of the type shown in Figs. 2 and 3, willaccomplish the shifting of gears in a special type gear box such asillustrated inFig. 8. It is immaterial so far as my invention isconcerned, whether the gear shifting mechanism is applied to either astandard or special type of transmission, inasmuch as the mode ofoperation in each instance is substantially the same. The gear shiftingmechanism for a standard type of transmission is confined within thehousing 6', shown in Fig. 12.

The apparatus and parts shown in Fig. 1 are identically the same,whether used in connection with the gear shifting mechanism for aspecial type of transmission as shown in Figs. 1 through '1 inclusive,or in connection with the standard type of transmission shown in Fig.12, and hence it will be understood that a description of the operatingmechanism shown inFig. 1 will apply to gear shifting mechanism foreither a standard or special type of transmission.

In the lower portion of the housing 6 shown in Fig. 2, I have provided adriven shaft 1' which is operatively connected to the engine i ahead ofthe clutch, and therefore rotates in unison with thecrank shaft of theengine. The shaft 1 is provided with helical gears 8 arranged at spacedpoints throughout the length thereof, which gears are in meshingengagement with the helical gears 9,, l2, l5, and I], located on oneside of said shaft 1, and with gears 12, i4, and II, located on theother side of said shaft 1.

The gear 9 is mounted on a shaftllwhich has its lower end iournaled inthe bottom of the housing 6, and its upper end journaled in a bearingl8, located within the housing 6; The gears ll thru l'l inclusive aremounted on vertically disposed shafts ll thru 25 inclusive, which shaftsare located on opposite sides of the shaft I, and said shafts have theiroppositev ends journaled in the top and bottom of the housing I. Therespective shafts il, 2|, 22, and 24, form a) row on one side of theshaft I which lies in spaced parallel relation to the row of shafts 2|,22, and24. Between the said parallel rows of shafts on the top of thecasing, I have provided a guideway 26. A complementary guideway 2| isarranged adjacent the bottom -of the casing 0, said guideway 21 beingmounted on transverse supports 28 extending between the opposite sidesof the casing I.

A slide block 20 has its upper and lower edges slidably confined in theguideways 24 and 21, whereby said slide block may be moved in either aforward direction, indicated by the arrow A,

or in a rearward direction, as indicated by the arrow B, to accomplishshifting of the gears in the gear box 3, as will be hereinafterexplained. The slide block II is provided with a pair of longitudinallydisposed slots 3| and 32. The under edge 33 of the upper slot 3| beingformed as a cam locking member and having cuts therein at spaced points,forming the gear racks or toothed portions 34 and 25 respectively. Therack 24 causes engagement of the .low speed gear in the gear box onforward movement in the direction A of the slide block 30, anddisengagement of the same gear in the gear box-on movement of the slideblock in the opposite direction. The space between the gear racks 24 and25 serves to hold the gear in the gear box 2 in engagement until forwardmovement of the slide block 2! allows the rack 25 to cause the said gearin the gear box 3 to be disengaged when moved in the direction A, orengaged when moved in the reverse direction B. I

The lower edge of the slot II is provided with a a. cam locking guide I.thereon, and the same has toothed portions or gear racks 81 and 32 cuttherein. The gear rack 31 is designed to cause the engagement of thesecond speed gear in the transmission when moved in the direction of thearrow A, and to cause the disengagement of said gear when moved in thedirection B. Similarly, the gear rack 38 causes the disengagement of thesecond speed gear when moved in the direction of the arrow A, and theengagement thereof when moved in the direction of the arrow B.

The upper edge of the lower slot 22 is provided with a cam guide 29thereon, a portion of which is interrupted at 40 with a gear rack forengaging the high speed gear of the transmission when the slide block 30is moved in the direction of the arrow A, and for disengaging said highspeed gear when moved in the direction of the arrow B. The lower edge ofthe slot 22 is provided with a cam guide 4| thereon, said cam guidebeing interrupted at intervals by gear racks 42, 42, 44, and 45respectively. Each of the gear racks 42, 4t, 44, and 45 are adapted tocause the engagement and disengagement of the clutch at proper intervalsin relation to the shifting of the low, intermediate, and high speed,gears. A gear rack 40 is also provided along the edge H to operate theclutch when engaging the reverse speed gears of the. transmission. Aslot 41 is provided at one end of the slide block 30, said slot having acam guide 48 along an edge thereof, together with a gear rack 49 forengaging the reverse speed gearing of the transmission when the'slideblock 8| is moved in the direction of the arrow B, and for disengagingsaid reverse gearing when the slide block is moved in the oppositedirection.

Three of thevertically disposed shafts ll, 2i,

and 23, on one side of the slideblock II, are pro- 75 vided with sleeves50, 5!, and 52, slidably splined thereon, the lower end of each sleevehaving a lifting plate 53 thereon, and the upper end of each sleeve"having a gear 54 thereon. A stop collar 55 is provided around each ofthe shafts I8, 2|, and 23, to limit the downward movement of therespective sleeves 50, 5|, and 52. An expansion spring 56 is confinedaround theupper end of each of the said shafts between the-sleeve oneach shaft and a stop collar 51 attached to each of saidshafts. A gearrack 58 is provided on one side of the slide block 30 facing the gears54 on the sleeves, said gears 54 assuming a normal position out ofengagement with the rack 58.

A gear rack I26 is provided on the opposite side of the slide block 30facing the gears I25 on the sleeves I20, I22, and I24, arranged on therespective shafts 20, 22, and 24. The gears I25 on the sleeves I20, I22,and I24, rotate in a direction which will cause the slide block 30 to'bemoved forwardly in the direction of the arrow A, while the gears 54 onthe respective sleeves 50, 5| and 52, rotate to engage the rack '58 onthe slide block, to move said slide block in the opposite direction, orthat of the arrow B. The

sleeve 50, altho raised and lowered ahead of the sleeve I20 on theinitial movement of the slide block, plays no part in imparting forwarddirectional movement to the slide block.

The second sleeve I20 is adapted to be elevated on the shaft 20 toengage the gear I25 thereon with the rack I26, to cause the slide block30 to move progressively forward and to be successive- 1y engaged by thegears I25 on the sleeves I22 and I24, to effect successive shifts of thegears in the transmission through the low, intermediate, and highspeeds.

Thesleeves 50, I20, 5|, I22, 52,- and I24, are raised by means of aroller cam 59 journaled in a bearing 60 on a slide member 6|. The slide6| is guided in a transversely disposed guide frame 62 mounted adjacentthe bottom of the casing 6, said slide 6| being arranged in verticalalignment with the slide block 30, and is equi-distantly confined withinthe parallel rows of shafts I9 thru 25 inclusive. One end of the slide6| is provided with a shaft 62' thereon, which engages with a plunger 63operatively mounted in a cylinder 64. The cylinder 64 is operativelyrelated to a casing 65 acting as a sump or reservoir for I oil or otherfluid to be used for creating a pressure against the plunger 63 in thecylinder 64.

A reciprocating pump 66 is mounted within the reservoir 65, the plunger61 of said pump being operated by a cam 68, which in turn is directlyconnected to the wheel drive shaft thru a shaft and meshing gears 8| onthe shaft 80 and shaft 5' respectively. The cylinder of the pump 66 isprovided with an inlet port 69 having a check valve I0 mounted therein,and an outlet port II provided with a check valve I2 therein. The outletport II is connected by a pipe I3 to the cylinder 64, to supply fluidunder pressure thereto. A pressure relief valve I4 is provided in thepipe I3. The fluid which is placed under pressure by the pump 66, isdirected into the cylinder 64 causing the plunger 63 to move axiallytherein and to compress the expansion spring I5. Movement of the plunger63 causes corresponding movement of the slide 6|, and causes cam roller59 on said slide to successively engage the lifts 53 on the sleeves 50,I20, 5|, I22, 52, and I24.

The transmission box 3 is provided with a plurality of gear shiftingshafts journaled thereon,

there being a shift shaft I6 for the low speed gear; a shift shaft 11for the intermediate speed gear; a shift shaft 18 for the high speedgear; and a shift shaft I9 for the reverse speed gear. Each shift shaft,as shown in Fig. 9, is provided with an eccentric 82 thereon, aroundwhich an eccentric strap 83 is mounted, said strap 83 having an arm 84extended-therefrom in the form of a shifting fork, to engage a collar 85on the gear in the transmission which it is desired to shift.

-'I'he driving and driven shafts in the transmission are indicated bythe numerals 86 and 81, one transmission gear 88 being fixed to theshaft 81, while the other gear 89 is slidably splined on the shaft 86.

The low. speed shift shaft I6 projects thru the casing 6 into the slot3| on the slide block 30, and a pinion 90 is mounted on the end of saidshaft to engage the respective gear racks 34 and 35. The second speedshift shaft I1 likewise extends into the casing 6 andinto the slot 3| inthe slide block 30, the end of said shaft 11, within the casing, havinga pinion 9| thereon to engage the respective gear racks 31 and 38. Thehigh speed shift shaft I8 likewise extends into the casing 6 and intothe slot 32 in the slide block 30, there being a pinion 92 on the end ofsaid shaft I8 to engage the gear rack 40 on said slide block. Thereverse gear shift shaft I9 extends into the casing 6, and a gear 93 onthe end of said shaft, within the casing 6, is adapted to engage thegear rack 49. Each of the gears 90, 9|. 92, and 93 is adapted to berotated a one-half turn by the racks engageable therewith, to therebyengage or disengage corresponding gears in the transmission. In order toprevent each of the said gears 90, 9|, 92, and 93 from turning more thanthe requisite one-half turn, I have provided a cam 94 on the face ofeachpinion, which I cam engages one of the cam guides 33, 36, 39, or 4|, toprevent engagement or disengagement of a selected gear in thetransmission other than by forward or rearward movement of the slideblock 30, as shown in Fig. '7.

A gear rack 95 is provided on one face of the slide 6|, said rack 95being adapted to be engaged by a gear 96 slidably splined on thevertically disposed shaft I0.

In orderto move an automotive ve. (C16 having an automatic gear shiftingapparatus constructed in accordance with my invention mounted thereon,in a forward direction, the operator first presses the pedal I04 to liftthe bar I09 and engage the gear 96 with the rack 95.

Initial actuation of the pedal I04 causes (thru the link I05, bell crankI06, link I01, and bell crank I08) the bar I09 in one end of the casing6 to be elevated and to mesh the gear 96 on the shaft I0 with the rack95 on the slide 6|. The gear 96 is driven at engine speed by the shaftI, and immediately upon engagement with the rack 95, causes the slide 6|to move forwardly in the direction of the arrow A, until the cam 59 onsaid slide passes under the sleeve lift 53, first raising and thenlowering the sleeve 50, after which the cam 59 enters under the sleevelift 53 and lifts the sleeve I20,.and gear I25 into engagement with thegear rack I26. The gear I25 is driven at constant speed by the shafts 20and I, and causes initial forward movement of the slide block 30. Theinitial movement of the slide block 30 immediately causes the rack 42 torotate the clutch operating gear IOI a one-quarter turn. On the regularand conventional clutch operating shaft-98 I have journaled a clutchlever extension 96 which is arranged along the outside of the casing 6.The clutch pedal 91 is provided with a shoulder 51 thereon which abutsagainst the lever extension 06, whereby swinging movement of the lever56 thru the shoulder 61' will cause movement of the clutch pedal 61 andengagement and disengagement of the clutch. The clutch pedal 91 may beactuated independently of the lever 66.

A shaft I is journaled in one side of the casing 6, the inner end ofsaid shaft having a pinion IIII thereon, confined within the slot 32 inthe slide block 00, said pinion IOI being engageable respectively withthe gear racks 42 thru 46 inclusive, said gear racks, when engaged withthe pinion IOI, being adapted to rotate said pinion throughout aone-quarter turn for engaging and disengaging the engine clutch.

The outer end of the shaft I00 is provided with a double ended cam I02engaging the under side of the clutch lever extension 58. A tensionspring I03 engages the extreme end of the clutch lever extension 66 tohold it in contact with the double ended cam I02.

when the slide II has reached the limit of its initial forward movementby the act of the gear 96 becoming disengaged from the rack 95, one endof the pivoted lever IIO drops behind the extreme end of the slide 6I,as in Fig. 14, and prevents the slide 6I from returning to the normalinoperative position shown in Fig. 2. When the gear 96 and rack 65 havefunctioned to cause the initial movement of the slide 6i, to a'pointwhere forward movement of the slide block 30 is furnished by the gearsI25 and rack I26, the tension spring III may pull the bar I06downwardly, to disengage the gear 66 from the rack 65 and to restore thepedal I04 to its normal position, provided the foot pressure on thepedal I04 is released.

The side of the slide M is provided with a shoulder II2 thereon, whichshoulderis adapted to function in relation to a cam IIS on the side ofthe slide block 06, said cam III having a projection II4 thereonextending above the plane of the remainder of the cam.

In the transverse supports 20 for the guide 21, I have mounted aplurality of stop pins I I5, located in predetermined relation to theshafts I5 thru 24 inclusive. Each stop pin III is provided with alateral extension III on its upper end, which at times is adapted toride on the cam Ill and projection II4. An expansion spring III on eachstop pin acts to urge the stop pin III downwardly to either rest on orin the path 'of travel of the projecting shoulder II2, until the raisedportion II4 of the cam raises the stop pin II5 sufficiently to permitthe shoulder II2 on the slide 6I to clear.

The sleeves 50, 5I and 52, as shown in Fig. 2, on the front side of theslide block 00, have the gears 54 thereon engageable with the gear rack56, only when the-slide block 30 is moved in a rearward direction, or ina direction toward the left, as indicated by the arrow B. The gears 54will only engage with the rack on movement in the rearward direction Bbecause the gears 54 are quickly raised and lowered by the slide 6| aninterval of time before the rack commences its forward movement. Thus,when the slide block 30 is moved in a forward direction, or in adirection toward the right, as indicated by arrow A, the gears 54 on thesleeves 50, 5|, 52, do not assist in imparting any forward movement tothe slide block. The shafts 26, 22, and 24 on the rear side access? ofthe slide block 30, have the respective tubes I20, I22, and I24,drivingly mounted thereon, and each of said lastmentioned tubes has agear I25 thereon to engage a gear rack I 26 on the rear side of theslide block 30. The engagement of the gears I25 with the rack I26,causes the slide block 60 to be moved in a forward or right handdirection, as indicated by the arrow A, but perform no function when theslide block is moved in the opposite direction.

In the first position, shown in Fig. 2, the stop pin II5 rests on theshoulder II2, whereby the cam roller 59 is free to move under the lift53 and raise the sleeve I and. gear I up to a point of engagement withthe rack I26 on the slide block 30. As the slide block commences itsinitial movement, the clutch pinion IOI is turned by the rack 42 thru aquarter turn, until the double ended cam I02 assumes the position shownin dotted lines in Fig. 1, disengaging the clutch. Thus, the first orinitial movement of the slide block 30 causes the engine clutch to bedisengaged, and immediately following, the gear rack 04 is brought intoregistry with the pinion 90, thereby rotating said pinion a half turn,and causing the shift shaft 16 to be operated to bring the low speedgear of the transmission 3 into mesh with its corresponding gear, andthe clutch is re-engaged by the rack 43 moving the clutch pinion I M. Atthis point the stop pin II5 drops down behind the end of the shoulderII2 on the slide 6|, thereby preventing the slide 6i from returning toits starting position.

With each change of speed my apparatus operates according to the sameformula, and hence this should be remembered as the descriptionprogresses, to wit;the slide block 30 first moves to disengage theclutch, next one or more selected gears are disengaged and engaged oneafter the other and finally the clutch is re-engaged. The stop pins I I5prevent movement of the control slide 6I while the clutch is beingactuated and theselected gears engaged or disengaged.

The clutch pinion IN is always meshed with one of the racks 42, 43, 44,and 45 when the clutch is engaged, whereby a quarter turn of the pinionIOI in either direction will disengage the clutch. The adjacent camguide 4I holds the pinion nonrotatable until the succeeding rack turnsthe pinion a quarter turn to allow the clutch to reengage. The clutchpinion always comes to rest midway between the ends of the respectiveracks.

The slide 6| moves in advance of the slide block 50 and the cam II4 onthe slide block raises the stop pin II5a to permit the shoulder II2 onthe slide 6| to pass therebelow after the gears have been shifted andthe clutch engaged.

The fluid pressure to be developed by the pump 66 depends entirely onthe speed of rotation of the vehicle propelling shafts, and as thevehicle speed increases, fluid pressure is developed in proportion, sothat the fluid pressure directed against the plunger 63 thereaftercauses the slide ii to be moved forwardly, in the direction of the arrowA, on the guide 62. In the event the vehicle speed is sufiicient todevelop necessary pressure in the cylinder 64, the slide 6I is pulledforward an additional step to a point where the shoulder II2 on theslide will strike the stop pin 51), and thereby temporarily stop furtherforward movement of the slide 6i. When the slide moves from the stop pinII5a to the stop pin II5b, the roller 56 on the slide raises and lowersthe sleeve 5I and thereafter raises the sleeve I22 with the gear I25thereon, to a point where the aooaua'r said gear I26 on the sleeve. I22will engage the rack I26 and continue the forward movement of the slideblock.

In the second step of movement of the slide block 36. effected by theengagement of the gear I26 on the sleeve I20 with the rack I26, saidrack is moved forwardly with the slide block to a point where said rackI26 may be engaged by the gear I26 on the sleeve I22. When the sleeveI22 and the gear I thereon, commence to move the slide block 30 in aforward direction, several actions result; first, the clutch isdisengaged and momentarily held in a disengaged position, and almostimmediately the low speed gear is disengaged and the intermediate speedgear is engaged, and then the clutch is re-engaged, which action isindicated on Fig. 2 of the drawings by the title intermediate clutch.The last mentioned second phase of automatic movement of the slide block30, rotates the clutch pinion IM to disengage the clutch from the lowspeed clutching position, and the rack 43 causes said clutch pinion IMto rotate to engage the clutch on the intermediate speed clutching,position. During this phase of movement, the gear rack on the low speedshift, causes the disengagement of the low speed gear in thetransmission by properly turning the pinion 90, and almost immediatelythe gear segment 31 on the intermediate speed shifting mechanism,engages the pinion 9 I, to thereby rotate said pinion a one-half turn,and engage the intermediate or second speed gears in the enginetransmission. During this phase of movement, the cam I I4 on the slideblock has also raised the stop pin H511 to a point where the shoulder onthe slide H2 is free to advance another step in the forward direction.If the vehicle speed is suflicient to generate enough pressure in thecylinder'64, the slide 6| is advanced another step in the forwarddirection until the stop I I2 on the said slide 6I abuts against thestop pin 50. When the slide 6| passes from beneath the stop pin II5b tothe stop pin 5c, the roller 59 causes the sleeve 52 to raise and lower,and said roller also raises the sleeve I24 to a point where the gear I26on said sleeve, will engage the rack I26 and advance it still anotherstep in the forward direction. As the slide block is caused to move inthis last mentioned step, the clutch pinion IIiI is moved by the gearrack 44 to disengage the clutch, the gear rack 38 on the intermediatespeed shifting mechanism rotates the pinion ill to shift theintermediate gear out of mesh in unison with the gear segment engagingthe pinion 92 to effect the engagement of the high speed gears in thetransmission, after which the clutch is brought into engaging positionby the gear rack 45. The action of bringing the slide block 30 to apoint where the high speed gear in the transmission 3 is engaged, alsohas brought the cam IIl into position to lift the stop pin II5c to clearthe shoulder II2 on the slide 6|, and to permit said slide to continueits forward movement until the end of the slide block abuts the end ofthe housing, as shown in Fig. 15. At this point, the stop pin I|5c restsupon the upper face of the shoulder H2, and the slide 6|. is in positionto move in the reverse direction, or that of the arrow B, in readinessto engage either the intermediate or low speed gears in the event thespeed of the vehicle could not be maintained in high. As long as theslide 6| remains in the position shown in Fig. 15, the vehicle will bemaintained in high or direct drive.

' The slide block 6| is advanced in the forward direction by the fluidpressure generated by the pump 66 in accordance with the speed of thevehicle. It will be noted that the cam 68 which actuates the pump 66, isdriven by a shaft drivingly connected to the propeller shaft of thevehicle as shown'in Fig. 8. The speed of rotation of the propeller shaftcauses the pump to develop pressure in direct proportion to the vehiclespeed. Relatively low pressure is developed where the speed of thevehicle is low, and as the speed of the wheels increases, the fluidpressure is like- .wise increased.

Heretofore the action of moving the slide block 6I with the roller 69thereon, with relation to the gear shifting members in the forward direction, has been traced without describing the intimate functions playedby the plunger 63 in such operation. As heretofore described,initialinovement of the vehicle is commenced by depressing the footpedal I04, which manually causes connections to be made to effect thefirst or initial step of movement of the slide 6|, in which operationthe bar I09 is raised to engage the gear 96 and rack 95, by means ofwhich the slide 6| is moved in a forward direction, to a point indicatedin Fig. 14. The link I01 which actuates the bell crank I08 to lift thebar I09, is also connected at its end to a bell crank I30, which in turnis connected by a link I3I to a gear segment I 32, in the reservoir 65.The gear segment I32 meshes with a rack I33 on a ported slide valve I34,having a plurality of equally spaced ports I34a. and I34b arranged inoperative relation to longitudinally disposed ports I35, I36, and I31,communieating with the cylinder 64. The action of depressing the footpedal I04 simultaneously raises the bar I09 and link I3I, to causemovement of the slide valve I33 to register the valve ports I34b withthe ports I35, I36, and I31 in the cylinder 64. By opening said ports atthe start of operation, it results that when the vehicle starts to moveand the pump 66 starts to work, low pressure will be graduallyaccumulated in the cylinder 64 to work against the piston 63. As thispressure develops in accordance with the speed of movement of thevehicle, the piston 63 is caused to move against the compression spring15 and to thereby advance the slide block 61 and roller 59 through theshifting of the gears, in a forward direction, as heretofore described.The ports I34b are larger than the ports I 34a so that the pressuredischarge from the cylinder may be carried on throughout a substantialinterval of time for better control of the operation of the apparatus.

In Fig. 3, the piston 63 is shown in the normal or starting position,and after sufllcient pressure is developed to cause movement of thepiston into the dotted position shown at X, in Fig. 3, which movementcauses the engagement of the low speed gears in the transmission, thepiston remains at position X until the wheel speed is increased to apoint where additional pressure can be built up in the cylinder 64.Additional movement of the piston 63 in the forward direction, can onlybe obtained by the speed of the vehicle increasing to a point where thepump will develop pressure sufflcient both to move the direction can beobtained without; entirely dissipating all of the pressure developed bythe pump. As the vehicle speed increases, and additional pressure isbuilt up in the cylinder 63, the piston 63 moves from the-position X tothe position Y, and movement of the piston from station X to station Yeffects the change of speeds from the low speed to the intermediatespeed. The piston 63 remains at the station Y for a suiflcient period toallow the vehicle to adjust itself to the intermediate speed. As thespeed of the vehicle increases sufficient to warrant the shift from theintermediate speed to the high speed, pressure is built up in thecylinder 63 to cause the movement of the piston 63 from the station Y tothe station Z, during which movement of the piston 33, the transmissiongears are shifted from the intermediate speed to the high speed. Whenthe piston 63 is at the station Z, the vehicle runs in high gear and asthe pressure of the pump develops its maximum pressure, the piston 63 ismoved to the end of its stroke, at which time it uncovers the by-passports I39 in the cylinder 63, thru which ports the fluid under pressure,is returned to the reservoir 66. The pump 66, when operating at maximumcapacity, develops sufficient pressure in the cylinder 33 to force thepiston 63 to the limit of its forward stroke, and to maintainsaid pistonin said position while by-passing the excess pressure thru the portsI36, I36, I31, and I39. When the pump is developing approximatelytwothirds of its capacity pressure, the piston 33 is moved to shift theintermediate speed gear while by-passing a lesser amount of pressure.Similarly, when the pump is developing approximately one-third of itscapacity pressure, it is capable of moving the piston to shift the lowspeed gear and at the same time by-pass a portion of the pressure.

The cylinder 63 is provided with valve closed ports I99 and I9I indiametrical alignment with the respective ports I36 and I36. Each valveport I66 and I 9| is provided with a disc valve I92 slidably' confinedtherein, together with a spring I93 to hold the valve open against aselected fluid pressure. When the vehicle starts to move between zeroand ten miles per hour, relatively low fluid pressure ranging from zeroto three pounds persquare inch is developed in the cylinder 63, to workagainst the piston 63 and to overcome the reactance of the compressionspring I6. As the vehicle speed approaches approximately 10 miles perhour and pressure of approximately three pounds per square inch isdeveloped, the piston 63 is moved from the full line position in Fig.3to the dotted position indicated at station K. At this point the portsI36 and I33 would be blocked off and the pressure would be built uprelatively fast. When the piston moves to the station X, the vehicle isshifted into low speed ahead. The piston 63 stays at station I until thepressure builds up to a point where the piston can be moved towardstation Y. When the vehicle speed exceeds approximately 10 miles perhour and pressure better than three pounds per square inch is developed,then the piston starts to move away from station X. uncovering the portsI36 and I33 and by-passing the pressure not required to move the piston.As the speed of the vehicle increases and the pressure increases above.three pounds per square I inch, then the expansion of the valve springI93 is overcome at approximately four pounds per square inch, and thevalve I93 in the port I96 is closed. This immediately causes a fastbuild up of pressure and moves the piston 63 to the station Y where theports I33 and I9I are blocked off, which movement also accomplishes ashift ofgears from low to intermediate speed. The

piston 63 stays at station Y until the vehicle speed approaches 20 milesper hour, and the pressure builds up to approximately seven pounds persquare. inch, when the piston may be moved toward station Z. When thevehicle speed exceeds 20 miles per hour and the pressure better than '7lbs. per square inch, then the piston starts to move away from stationY, uncovering the ports I36 and I 9| and by-passing the pressure notrequired to move the piston. As the speed of the vehicle increases above20 miles per hour, and the pressure increases above 7 lbs. per sq. inch,then the expansion of the spring I93 in the port I9I is overcome atapproximately 8 lbs. per square inch, and the valve I92 in the port I3Iis closed. The closing of the valves I33 in the ports I93 and I9I doesnot affect the ports I36 and I36. When the speed of the vehicle actuatesthe shifting devices 6| and 33, respectively, the

ports I33a and I3; are always open to communication with the cylinderports I36, I33, and I31 and a portion of the pump pressure, not requiredto move the piston 63, is by-passed thru said cylinder ports.

If it should be desired to keep the vehicle travelling in high gear butat a relatively low speed, such as 10 or 15 miles per hour, the valveI33 would be moved to block off the ports I33, I33, and I3! to therebydirect the entire output of the pump 66 against the piston 33 withoutby-passing any thereofthru the ports I33, I33, and I3l. If it should bedesired to travel the vehicle in either intermediate or low speeds, thepressure relief valve I3Il would be manipulated by the hand control I36,as shown in Fig. 19, to by-pass pump pressure in suflicient quantity tokeep the slide H in coordinating position with the slide block foreffecting the desired intermediate or low speed.

In order to shift the gears downwardly from the high speed to either theintermediate, or the low speeds, or the neutral position, it isaccomplished automatically by the speed of rotation of the propellershaft actuated by the traction wheels. As the speed of the propellershaft slows up, the pump 33 is caused to develop less pressure, wherebythe compressed expansion spring I6 causes the piston 33 to be moved inthe rearward direction, that of the arrow B, from w the station Zto thestation Y. During this phase of movement of the piston, the slide block3i causes the sleeve 63 with the gear 63 thereon, to be raised and toengage the rack 63 and start the slide block 33 in the direction of thearrow B. As the slide block 33 commences its rearward movement, theclutch rack 36 reacts with the clutch pinion I III to disengage theclutch, and in timed relation the rack 39 reacts with the high speedpinion 33 to disengage the high speed gear, and simultaneously and infollowing sequence, the rack 33 engages the intermediate speed pinion 9Ito mesh'with the intermediate speed gear. In dropping down from highgear to intermediate gear, the shoulder II! on the slide 3i passes frombeneath the stop pin H30 and abuts against the stop pm I lib, at whichpoint the slide 3Iv remains until the slide block 33 reaches a pointwhere the cam II3 on said slide block, acts to raise the stop pin lI6b,to permit the slide 3i to return another stroke in the rearwarddisengaged to permit direction. If the propeller shaft speed shouldbecome relatively slow, then likewise the pressure developed by the pumpwould decrease, and the expansion spring would urge the piston 63 andslide 6| rearwardly to a point where the slide 6| would abut against thestop pin II5a. As a result, the roller 59 on said slide would lift thesleeve 5|, together with the gear 54 thereon, into engagement with therack 5 and cause the continuance of movement of the slide block '30 inthe rearward direction. This step in the return movement of the slideblock, causes the engine clutch to be declutched, the intermediate speedgear to be disengaged, and the low speed gear engaged and the clutchre-engaged. The final movement of the slide block in this step ofoperation, elevates the stop pin 5:: so that the slide 6| may return toa point approximating the starting position. If the speed of rotation ofthe vehicle should approach the minimum, so that the pump pressure wouldbe correspondingly low, then the last mentioned movement of the slide 6Iwould cause the raising of the sleeve 59, together with the gear 54thereon, to engage the rack 58, and return said slide block toapproximately the starting or neutral position, at which point the slideblock might be again moved in a forward direction.

If it should be desired to move the vehicle in a reverse direction, thevehicle would have to be brought to a standstill or stop before theblock 30 could be moved in a reverse direction (arrow B). As the slideblock 30 is moved by the gear on the sleeve 50 to the starting position,the clutch is the disengagement of the low speed gear. The operation ofreturning the piston 63 from the high speed position to that of thestarting position, has been described with particular reference to agradual drop in the speed of the vehicle.

The operation of the gear shift mechanism is automatic and at the sametime is under direct control of the operator by means of the handcontrol I46 on the relief valve I40 and the relief port MI in thecylinder 64. The valve I40 is provided with a gear rack on an endthereof, meshing with a gear segment I42 swingingly mounted within thereservoir 65. The segment I42 is moved by a link I43, bell crank I44,link I45, and control lever I46, indicated in Fig. 1 on the vehiclesteering wheel column.

When the hand lever I46 is manipulated to open the valve I40, the entirefluid pressure is immediately by-passed, and the expansion spring 15pushes the piston 63 in a rearward direction, and automaticallydisengages the high, intermediate, and low speed gears in succession.

In order to move the vehicle in a reverse direction by engagement of thereverse gears in the transmission 3, I have provided a gear rack I50 onone face of the slide block 30, and on the vertically disposed shaft 25I have slidably splined a gear I5I. The gear I5I is maintained out ofengagement with the rack I50 by an expansion spring I52. Reversemovement of the slide block 30 is accomplished by depressing the footpedal I53, which is fulcrumed on the vehicle frame at I54. A link I ispivotally connected at one end thereof to the pedal I53, and at itsopposite end, said link I55 is pivotally connected to a bell crank I56.The other arm of the bell crank is connected by a link I51 to a bellcrank I58. The other arm of said bell crank is connected by a shift barI59 to a collar I60 on the gear I5I. When the reversing pedal I53 isdepressed, the

gear I5I is moved downwardly by the shift bar I53 into engagement withthe rack I50. The gear I 5i being constantly running, causes the slideblock 30 to move rearwardly in the direction of the arrow B, firstcausing the engine clutch to be declutched, and immediately thereafterengaging the reverse shift rack 49 with the reversing pinion 93 toengage the reversing gears in the transmission 3. After the reversinggears have been engaged, the clutch is engaged and the reverse clutchrack 46 holds the engine clutch in the engaged position, while the camrack 48 on the reverse shaft holds the cam on the reversing pinion 93 inthe engaged position.

When the slide block 30 starts in reversing movement, it immediatelyengages a lever I95 in the casing 6, said lever being connected by a rodI96 to a bell crank I6I, which in turn is pivotally connected to the rodI43 on the relief valve- I40. Thereafter at the moment the slide block30 starts its rearward movement, the fluid pressure behind the piston 63is released so that the slide block 6| may move into the startingposition, or position of rest shown in Fig. 2.

The reverse gear in the transmission 3 is disengaged by removing thefoot from the reversing pedal I53, allowing the expansion spring I52 todisengage the gear I5I from the rack I50, and to be lifted upwardly intoengagement with a rack I10 spaced outwardly from the plane of the faceof the slide block 30. As soon as the gear I5I engages the rack I10, theslide block 30 is moved in the direction of the arrow A, causing theclutch to disengage, and immediately following, causing the reversegears to disengage and the slide block 30 to assume the neutral positionshown in Fig. 2.

As shown in Fig. 1, a conventional type of foot throttle IN isprovided,'said throttle being connected to the carburetor on the engineI. A sliding and pivoted link connection I72 is interposed between thethrottle Ill and the clutch lever extension 99, whereby the footthrottle is rendered inoperative whenever the engine clutch isdisengaged by the lever 99. It is well known that the ears in anautomotive transmission cannot be shifted where the engine speed isgreatly in excess of that of the speed of rotation of the propellershaft, so that in conventional practice, the engine is not speeded up atthe instant the transmission gears are being shifted. In my structure,the hook-up between the engine throttle and clutch shaft, prevents thethrottle from being operated therewith, and at such times as the gearsare being shifted.

In Fig. 1, I have also shown an intake manifold of the engine designatedby the numeral I13, connected/by a pipe I14 toa suction chamber I15,within w ch the piston or diaphragm I16 is movably mo ted. The suctionpiston I16 is connected by a rod I11 to the rod I01, thereby to use thesuction power of. the engine for moving the slide valve I33.

A dash pot I18 having a piston I19 therein, connected by a link I to theclutch lever extension 99, is provided to assist in retarding thedownward action of the lever 99 at such times as the engine clutch isbeing moved from the disengaged to the engaged positions.

The helical gear 8 on the shaft 1 which rotates the shaft I0, is ofsmaller diameter than the remaining helical gears 8 on the shaft 1, anda reversing gear I8I is interposed between the smaller diameteredhelical gear 8 and the helical gear 9 on the shaft I0, in order toreverse the position whenever the vehicle is rotation of the gear 00 todrive the slide II in a forward direction upon initiating movement ofthe gear shifting mechanism.

In Fig. 13 I have shown the automatic shifting apparatus with the slideblock and the roller 59 thereon, in engagement with the sleeve I22during that phase of operation when the gears of the transmission wouldbe shifted into the intermediate s In Fig. 16 I have shown a clutchengagi g and disengaging mechanism which operates independently of theengagement or disengagement of the clutch by the double ended cam I02.The apparatus shown in Fig. 16, provides that the clutch on the engineshall assume a disengaged at a standstill. In the conventionalautomobile the clutch remains engaged when the vehicle is at astandstill, whereas with my construction, as shown in Fig. 16, theclutch is always to be maintained in a disengaged position whenever thevehicle is at rest. In order to accomplish this purpose, I have providedan extension l0 on the shaft I0. A gear 200 is slidably splined on theshaft extension, and an expansion spring 202 is provided around theshaft to maintain the gear 200 in en'- gagement with a rack 20I providedon a bar 203. The bar 203 is slidably guided in guides 201 provided inthe housing 6. The bar 203 is. provided with a rack portion 205 on aside thereof facing the rack 20I but below and in off-set relationthereto. Rotation of the shaft I0 and the gear 200 thereon, when saidgear is engaged with the rack 20I on the bar 203, causes the bar 203 tobe moved in the direction of the arrow B. The bar 203 is also providedwith a rack portion 206 thereon to mesh with a pinion 201 slidablysplined on a shaft 200 (see Fig. 17). An'end of the shaft 208 projectsout thru the wall of the housing 6 and is provided with a cam 209thereon to engage the'under face of the clutch lever 99, for the purposeof lifting said lever extension into the full line position shown inFig. 16, and disengaging the clutch.

Whenever the movement of the vehicle stops and foot pressure is removedfrom the first speed ahead pedal I04 and from the reversing pedal I53,the spring 202 causes the gear 200 to be engaged with the rack 20I tomove it in the direction of the arrow B, and to swing the cam 209 intothe elevated position beneath the lever 99, whereby the clutch isdisengaged. If the vehicle operator wishes to have the vehicle move in aforward direction or that of the arrow A, the bar I09 is elevated bypressure applied to the first speed ahead pedal I04.. As the bar I09raises, vertical movement thereof is transmitted thru a sliding pivot2I6 to a beam member 2" pivoted intermediate its ends at 2I5 in thecasing 6. The aforesaid vertical movement of the bar I09, thru itscontact with the beam 2, causes the shift bar 2 on the gear 200, by apin 2, to be depressed and to engage the gear 200 with the rack 205,causing said rack 205 to be moved in the direction of the arrow A, andto swing the cam 209 downwardly, to thereby efiect the engagement of theengine clutch.

In the event the vehicle would be in the stopped position with the cam209 raised against the lever 99 to disengage the clutch, and it would bedesired to engage the clutch properly to move the vehicle in a reversedirection, or that of the arrow B, the operator would depress thereversing pedal I53, movement of which would be transaooasar I mitted tothe rod I and crank 2I2 to the bar 2 200. Downward movement of the gear200 would disengage it from the upper rack 2" and engage it with thelower rack 203, causing the bar 203 to be moved in the direction of thearrow A, thereby causing the cam 200 to swing from the vertical into thehorizontal position and allowing the clutch lever 00 to drop downwardlyand cause the engagement of the clutch; The aforesaid operation ofmoving the clutch from the disengaged intothe engaged position in orderto reverse the movement of the vehicle, would be synchronized with themovement of the slide block 30, whereby the reversing gears in thetransmission would be first engaged before the cam 203 would be swungdownward to allow the engine clutch to engage.

The pinion 201 is provided with a collar 2I0 thereon, within which ashifting fork 2I9 is confined. The shifting fork is provided with anoperating handle 223 thereon, which extends to a point in convenientproximity to the vehicle operator, whereby'the pinion 201 may be engagedor disengaged, at the will of the operator, with the rack 200. Thus, byengaging or disengaging the pinion 201 with the rack 203, it is possibleto render the selective clutch operative mechanism effectual orineffectual, as the case may be. A spring 220 and a stop collar 22I areprovided around the shaft 200 to force the pinion 201 into engagementwith the rack 200. The clutch operating mechanism shown in Fig. 16,would cause the engagement and disengagement of the engine clutchindependently of the clutch manipulation effected by the double endedcam I02, and when operating conjointly with said double ended cam I02,would cause the engagement or disengagement of the engine clutchslightly in advance of the double ended cam I02.

In Fig. 12 I have shown a vertical cross-section taken thru an automaticgear 5 fting mechanism constructed to shift the gears on a standard typeof automotive transmission as distinguished from the special type oftransmission heretofore described.

In Figs. 10 and 11, I have shown a box 2, containing the conventionaltype of transmission wherein the propeller shaft 5 may be driven at anyone of three selected speeds ahead or one in the reverse direction. Thetransmission 2 is provided with vertically aligned driving and drivenshafts 230 and 23I. The transmission 2 is a standard type of gear box,and is provided with the low and reverse gears coupled together to beactuated by a single shifting fork, and also has the intermediate andhigh gears coupled together, to be operated by a single shifting fork.

In Fig. 11, I have shown two pairs of gears which are representativeeither of the low-reverse or the intermediate-high combinations. If itbe assumed that the gears shown in Fig. 11 are the low-reversecombination, then the shifting fork 232 is indicated as the member forshifting said gears. A similar shifting fork 233 is provided forshifting the intermediate-high speed gears. Each of the shift members232 and 233 is provided with the respective straps 234 and 235 thereon,each of said straps being mounted around an eccentric 238 secured aroundan end of the low-reverse shifting shaft 231, and the intermediate-highshift shaft 238 respectively.

The shaft 231 extends within the casing 6' and into a slot 3| located inthe slide block 30'. The

thencethruthebell.

shift shaft 238 likewise extends into the slot 3| 2!. Sleeves 59', BIand I2 are provided on the in the slide block 30'. The casing 9' isprovided respective shafts I9, 2| and 22. The upper end with a pair ofguideways 28' and 21' therein, of each of the last mentioned sleeves isprovided within which the upper and lower edges of the with a gear 54thereon progressively engageable slide block 30 are slidably confined.The slide with a gear rack 58 on the side of the slide block 5 block 30'has the longitudinal slots 3| and 32' 30' facing said gears II. Thesleeves I 20" thru therein. A shaft I00 is journaled in the side of I24are adapted to be elevated in succession to the housing 6', the innerend of said shaft, withengage the gear I25 thereon with the. rack I 29,in the housing, having a. clutch operating pinion to move the slideblock 30' forwardly to eflect l0 IOI thereon, to engage the clutch leverexten progressive selection of the transmission speeds l0 preferred formof the invention. are adapted to be elevated to engage the gears Theclutch operating pinion IN is located 54 thereon, to engage the gearswith the rack within the slot 32 in the slide block 30. The 58' and tomove the slide block 39' in the reverse 15 clutch operating pinion IN isalso provided with direction to effect a progressive disengagement of acam block 94 on a face thereof, whereby the the gears, or any variationthereof from the high pinion I 9| may only rotate a one quarterrevoluspeed down to the low speed. tion in the act of engaging anddisengaging the The slide block 30' is set in motion in the forengineclutch. The lower edge of the slot 32 ward direction, that of the arrowA, by manually 20 is provided with a cam locking surface 4|thereelevating the bar I09 thru the first speed ahead along, and saidcam locking surface is interrupted pedal, which action results inelevating the driven thruout its length by the rack bars 42, 43, 44,gear 96 on the shaft 250 into engagement with and 45, for disengagingand engaging the clutch the gear rack 95 on the slide block 6|. The

when moving into and from the low, intermediate, shaft 250 is driven bya helical gear 8 mounted 25 and high speed gears, and also the rack bar46 on said shaft, which meshes with a helical gear for disengaging andengaging the clutch when 9 on the shaft 1, said shaft I being driven bymoving into and from the reverse speed. The the engine I. The slide 6|is provided with a lower edge of the upper slot 3| is provided withroller 59 thereon, which in the forward movea cam lock 36 therealong,which surface is inment of the slide 6| is adapted to pass under the 30terrupted by the gear racks 31 and 38, which cam lift 53 on therespective sleeves I20, I22 are adapted to progressively engage thepinion and I 24, to progressively engage the gears I25 9| when shiftingthe low speed transmission gear on said sleeves, with the rack I26 onthe slide into and from engagement, and also a rack 49' block 30, toeffect the progressive engagement for reacting with the pinion 9| toshift the of the low, intermediate, andhigh speed gears. 35 reverseSpeed gear i o d m e gagement. The slide 6| is connected by a rod 62" toa pres- The upper edge of the slot 3| is provided with sure actuatedplunger in a cylinder 64. The a cam locking surface 33 thereon whichsurface plunger in the cylinder is actuated by fluid presis interruptedby the gear racks 34' and the sure developed by the speed of thevehicle, as

40 rack 34 being used to engage the pinion/ 92 to has been heretoforedescribed in connection with 0 engage the intermediate speed gear in thetransthe parts appearing in Fig. 3. mission, and the rack 40' todisengage the inter- In order to disengage the gears and thetransmediate peed gear and nga e the high speed mission progressiveleydownward from high to ar in the ran mi si n. Th r k 38' per t low, theslide block 6| is moved rearwardly in n timed l n W h h r nk wh y thethe direction of the arrow B to elevate the sleeves 45 rack 38 willreact with the pinion 9| to dis- 52', 5| and in progressive order,thereby engage h l w sp ar i m i ely pr ed n raising the gears 54' onsaid sleeves into engagethe act of the rack 3 engaging the Pinion mentwith the gear rack 58, and thereby moving to engage the intermediateSpeed gears- One face the slide block 30 rearwardly to cause changing soof each o e p s 9 a d is p v ed w of the gears in the transmission fromhigh down 50 a cam 94 on he face th r to enga e the cam to low inprogressive order. Obviously, the slide lock 33 to prevent the selectionof gears by rota- 6r might b stopped t efiect ti ed drive of tion of thesaid pinions only at such times as one th which, t ith th lintermediate, or of the pinions registers with a selected rack porhighspeeds, by movement of th aid lide block tion. The length of h racks andin either a forward or rearward direction, by 55 3 is c that a q a n ofthe pinions proper manipulation of the valves controlling the 9| and 92will engage any selected gear in the movement of t plunger 1; thcylinder 64', transmission. However, the gear rack 46' is Stop i 5', ll5'a, 5'12, and 5'0, are twice the length of the aforementioned gearslidably guided within th housing 6', a h of racks thus requiring a halfturn of the Pinion said pins being movable into the path of travel 60 92when disengaging the intermediate speed and f a shoulder 2' on t slide5|, Th step ag t h h pe dhe locking cam 94' pins H5, etc, preventmovement of the slide is substantially square, to permit only a quarterduring each phase of di engaging t clutch, n of the p n 9| n d ring theperiods gaging or disengaging the low, intermediate, or 65 when the saidpinions are engaged by the actuhigh speed gears, and re-engaging theclutch. 65 ating gear racks. The slide block 30 is provided with a camIII On one side of the slide block 30, I have prothereon, whichcooperates to lift the respective vided driven shafts 20, 22', and 24,which shafts stop pins 5' at the end 01' each shifting phase areprovided with the respective sleeves I20, I 22 to clear the engaged stoppin from the should r 7 and I24, thereon. Each of the sleeves has a gearH2 on the slide 6|, whereby said slide 6| may I25 provided on the upperend thereof, and said move to engage an adjacent. stop pin H5 in gearsare adapted to progressively engage the either the forward or rearwarddirection. rack portion I26 on one face of the slide block In order toengage the reversing gear in the 35. On the opposite side of the slideblock 30 I transmission, the shift bar I59 is moved downhave providedthe driven shafts I 9, 2|, 23 and war to engage the gear I5I on theshaft 25 75 with a gear rack I53 on the slide block III. As the slideblock 30' moves rearwardly, in the direction of the arrow B, the pinion9| is. turned a quarter turn by the rack 49', thereby shifting thereverse gear of the transmission into mesh. The reverse gear in thetransmission is disengaged-by releasing the pressure on the bar I59 andallowing the gear I5I' to lift into engagement with the rack I10, whichengagement causes the slide block 30 to move forwardly in the directionof the arrow A, and rotating the pinion 3i out of engagement with thereverse gear 49'. The sequence of operation between the slide 5|, stoppins I I5, and slide block 30', is the same in the modified form of theinvention as in the preferred embodiment of the invention. The onlydifference between the preferred and modified forms of the invention isthat two pinions are used to accomplish all of the shifts necessary tooperate a standard transmission, whereas in the preferred form of theinvention, four pinions are required to shift the gears of the specialtransmission. Hence, with the modi flcation in this construction of theslide blocks 30 and 30', I have corresponding pinions to be operatedthereby. The shifting mechanism may be utilized to operate either aspecial or a standard type of transmission. The drive shaft 1' in thebottom of the casing 6' is provided with helical gears 8' thereon, whichmesh with helical gears Ii' thru I1 inclusive, mounted on the respectivevehicle shafts l5 thru 25 inclusive.

In an automotive vehicle equipped with my gear shifting mechanism, theforward speed thereof, is controlled entirely by the pedal I04, whichpedal works in definite relation to the engine throttle I'll. A pin 25Iis provided on the engine throttle beneath the under side of the pedalI, so that the swinging movement of the pedal from its normalinoperative position down to a point where it will contact the pin 35I,first causes the bar III! to be elevated and the link I3I on the valveI33 to be lifted, before further downward movement of said pedal I04reacts with the pin25l, to cause the engine speed to increase to a pointwhere, as the low speed gear in the transmission engages, the vehiclemay move in a forward direction. Whenever the low, intermediate, or highspeed gears are engaged, the speed of the vehicle is controlled by footpressure applied to the pedal I, which reacts both with the enginethrottle Ill, and also with the slide valve I33, to regulate theposition of said valve I33 with respect to the discharge or building upof fluid pressure in the cylinder 53.

Whenever the vehicle engine would stall or for any other cause thevehicle would come to a standstill, it is necessary to bring the gearshifting mechanism back into the starting or neutral position. From theneutral or starting position, the slide block 30 or the slide block 30'may be moved in either the forward or reverse direction. My gearshifting mechanism must be manipulated to a certain extent in the samemanner as the conventional gear shifting mechanism on a vehicle, in thata shift cannot be made from the low speed to the reverse speed or viceversa, without causing the movement of the vehicle to be brought to astop.

A timed relationship is desirable between the ahead pedal I04 and theaccelerator Ill and the port openings I35 and I36 in the valve I33,whereby said port openings, to effect the discharge of fluid pressurefrom the cylinder 8|, will be opened to a degree most effective withaoeasar economical operating speeds of the engine. Speciiically, theahead pedal I04 would be timed to regulate the port openings in thevalve I33 and actuate the accelerator IlI so that the vehicle mighttravel in high speed with a minimum of gas or energy required to run theengine I.

With particular respect to Fig. 16, the cam 209 may be disengaged fromoperative relationship with respect to the lever 99, by depressingeither the reversing pedal I53 or the ahead pedal I04 to effect movementof the cam 209 into the lowered position and then pulling the lever 233to demesh the gear 201 from the rack 206, thereby rendering the clutchoperating mechanism shown in Fig. 16, inoperative.

The reversing pedal I53 is moved in relation to a pin 26l on thethrottle IlI, whereby depressing movement of the reverse pedal I53serves the double purpose of engaging the parts of the mechanismnecessary to move the vehicle in reverse and also operates the enginethrottle to thereby drive the vehicle at any desired rate of speed inthe reverse direction.

In order to indicate to the operator of the vehicle, the gears which maybe in mesh, to wit, either the low, intermediate, high or reverse, Ihave provided an indicator 30I in the operators compartment, which isconnected by a cable 300 to the slide block 30. The movement of theslide block 30, which effects the engagement of the various selectivespeed gears in the transmission thus causes the cable 300 to be moved inunison therewith, whereby the indicator 3M will register exactly theposition of the slide block and hence communicate just which gears inthe engine transmission are engaged.

Having thus described this invention, what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, an automotive vehicle having a selective speed geartransmission therein and means to automatically select speeds of saidgear transmission according to the speed of the vehicle, comprising,individual gear shifting members related to each different change speedgear in said transmission, a single reciprocatable means selectively anddirectly engageable with one of said gear shifting members at a time toeffect engagement and disengagement of selective speed gears in thetransmission; and means operated by the speed of the vehicle anddetachably related to said reciprocatable means to control but not toaccomplish the movement thereof.

2. In combination with an automotive vehicle having an engine, aselective speed transmission,

and wheel propelling shaft therein, of means related to saidtransmission to automatically select speeds-thereof in direct ratio tothe speed of the wheel propelling shaft, comprising, individual speedselecting members operatively related to each diiferent change speedgear in the transmission; a single reciprocatable block progressivelyand directly engageable with any one selected speed selecting member ata time; means driven by the engine to reciprocate said blockprogressively in a forward or rearward direction in relation to saidspeed selecting members; and means driven by the vehicle propellingshaft to control but not to accomplish the engagement and disengagementof the block driving means with the block to effect the speed selectionin the transmission according to the speed of the wheel propellingshaft.

3. In combination, an automotive vehicle having a selective speed geartransmission therein and means on said transmission to shift selectedshifting means in gears thereof;-and means to automatically actuate. thegear shifting means in accordance with the speed of the vehicle,comprising, a driving shaft; a plurality of driven shafts operated bysaid driving shaft and arranged in parallel rows, each of said shaftshaving a gear slidably a slide block ,movably mounted slide block;

4. In combination, an automotive vehicle hava selective speed geartransmissi n therein and means on said transmission to shift selectedgears thereof; means to automatically actuate the gear accordance withthe speed of the vehicle, comprising, a driving shaft; a plurality ofdriven shafts operated by said driving allel rows of driven shafts; agear rack on each of the opposite sides of said slide block; areciprocatable cam engageable with successive selected gears on thedriven shafts to move the same into 5. In combination, an automotivevehicle having a selective speed gear transmission therein and means onsaid transmission to shift selected speed of the vehicle, comprising, adriving shaft a plurality of driven shafts operated by said driv- 7. Incombination, an automotive vehicle having a selective speed geartransmission therein and means on said transmission to shift selectedgears thereof; means to automatically actuate the gear shifting means inaccordance with the speed of the vehicle, comprising, a driving shaft; aplurality of driven shafts operated by said driving 8. In combination,an automotive vehicle having a selective speed gear transmission thereinand means on said transmission to shift selected gears thereof; means toautomatically actuate the gear shifting means in accordance with thespeed of the vehicle, comp ising, a driving shaft; a plurality of drivenshafts operated by said driving shaft and arranged in parallel rows,each of said shafts having a gear slidably splined thereon; a

sure to be accumulated in said cylinder foreffecting selectivereciprocative movements of the piston; and means to control the movementof said valve.

9. In combination. an automotive vehicle havselective speed geartransmission therein and means on said transmission to shift selectedgears thereof; means to automatically actuate the gear shifting means inaccordance with the speed of the vehicle, comprising, a driving shaft; aplurality of driven shafts operated by said driving shaft and arrangedin parallel rows, each of said shafts having a gear slidably splinedthereon; a slide block movably mounted between the parallel rows ofdriven shafts; a gear rack on each of the opposite sides of said slideblock; a reciprocatable cam engageable with successive selected gears onthe driven shafts to move the same into engagement with a selected gearrack to move the slide block progressively forward or rearward;coengaging parts in the slide block to actuate the gear shifting meansto effect the engagement and disengagement of the transmission gearsthru movement of the slide block; a closed cylinder; -a piston in saidcylinder connected to said cam; a fluid pressure generating pumpcommunicating with said cylinder to create fluid pressure to reciprocatesaid piston and cam in unison; a primary valve to regulate the volume offluid pressure to be accumulated in said cylinder for effectingselective reciprocative movements of the piston; means to control themovement of said valve; and a secondary valve to discharge the fluidpressure from the cylinder independent of the primary valve.

10. In combination, an automotive vehicle having a selective speed geartransmission therein shift selected to automatically actuate speed ofthe vehicle, comprising, a driving shaft; a plurality of driven shaftsoperated by said driving shaft and arranged in parallel rows, each ofsaid shafts having a gear slidably splined thereon; a slide blockmovably mounted between the parallel rows of driven shafts; a gear rackon each of the opposite sides of said slide block; a reciprocatable camengageable with successive selectedgears on the driven shafts to movethe same into engagement with a selected gear rack to move the slideblock progressively forward or rearward; coengaging parts in the slideblock to actuate the gear shifting means to effect engagement anddisengagement of the transmission gears thru movement of the slideblock; an enclosed piston connected to said cam adapted to be actuatedby a fluid pressure generating pump communicating with said enclosedpiston to supply fluid pressure thereto; means to drive said pump inproportion to the speed of travel of the vehicle whereby piston variesbetween the mum accordingly as the speed of the vehicle varies betweenthe minimum and maximum; and means to discommunicate the fluid pressurefrom contact with the piston.

11. In combination, an automotive vehicle having a selective speed geartransmission therein and means on said transmission to shift selectedgears thereof; means to automatically actuate the gear shifting means inaccordance with the speed of the vehicle, comprising, a driving shaft; aplurality of driven shafts operated by said driving shaft and arrangedin parallel rows, each of said shafts having a gear slidably splinedthereon; a slide block movably mounted between the parallel rows ofdriven shafts; a gear rack on each of the opposite sides of said slideblock; a reciprocatable cam engageable with successive selected gears onthe driven shafts to movethe same into engagement with move the slideblock progressively forward or a selected gear rack to rearward;coengaging parts on the slide block to actuate the gear shifting meansto effect the engagement and disengagement of the transmission gearsthru movement of the slide block; a closed cylinder; a piston in saidcylinder connected to said cam; a fluid pressure generating pumpcommunicating with said cylinder to create fluid pressure to reciprocatesaid piston and cam in unison; a primary valve to regulate the volume offluid pressure to be accumulated in said cylinder for effectingselective reciprocative movements of the. piston; means to control themovement of said valve; and spring means to move the piston in adirection opposite to that in which the piston is moved by the fluidpressure when the fluid pressure drops from the maximum to the minimum.

12. In combination, an automotive vehicle having a selective speed geartransmission therein and means on said transmission to shift selectedgears thereof; means to automatically actuate the gear shifting means inaccordance with the speed of the vehicle, comprising, a driving shaft; aplurality of driven shafts operated by said driving shaft and arrangedin parallel rows, each of said shafts having a gear slidably splinedthereon; a slide block movably mounted between the parallel rows ofdriven shafts; a gear rack on each of the opposite sides of said slideblock; a reciprocatable cam engageable with successive selected gears onthe driven shafts tomove the same into engagement with a selected gearrack to move the slide block progressively forward or rearward;coengaging parts in the slide block to actuate the gear shifting meansto effect the engagement and disengagement of the transmission gearsthru movement of the slide block; an enclosed piston connected to saidcam adapted to be actuated by a fluid pressure generating pumpcommunicating with said enclosed piston to supply fluid pressurethereto; means to drive said pump in proportion to the speed of travelof the vehicle whereby the pressure applied against the piston variesbetween the minimum and maximum accordingly as the speed of the vehiclevaries between the minimum and maximum; and spring means to move thepiston in a direction opposite to that in which the piston is moved bythe fluid pressure when the fluid pressure drops from the maximum to theminimum.

13. In combination, an automotive vehicle having an engine, a selectivespeed transmission, wheel driving means connected to said transmission,a clutch interposed between said engine and transmission; and means gageand disengage the engine clutch, comprising, a slidable block engageablewith the clutch operating mechanism to disengage the clutch at times andto engage said clutch at other times; means driven by the engine tocause the movement of said slide block; and means driven by the wheeldriving means to effect the engagement and disengagement of the slideblock moving means with the slide block.

14. In combination, an automotive vehicle having an engine, a selectivespeed transmission, wheel driving means connected to said transmission,a clutch interposed between said engine and transmission; a leverrelated to said clutch to operate the clutch to make and break drivingconnection between the engine and transmission thru the clutch; means toactuate said clutch lever, comprising, a slide block; a cam to berotated by movement of to automatically enthe slide block into and 7 l

